Gabby Anniversary

It seems to be a weekend to celebrate cat adoption anniversaries around the blogosphere. PeaceBang and her Ermengarde have been together for six years now. Over at Acts of Hope, Jane Redmont and Maya Pavlova are celebrating their first happy year as a twosome.

And over here at The Bookkitten, we've got an anniversary of our own. A Gabby Anniversary, to be exact.

Four years ago this weekend, I was hanging out at my best friend's apartment, cooing over one of his kitties. I already had my Maggie, and was casually searching for a playmate for her, but was not in full-blown search mode then.

"I wish I could take you home with me!" I sighed as I rubbed the cat's belly.

"I have one for you!" my best friend exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"Some friends of ours need to get rid of their cat. Their son has asthma and is really allergic. You interested?"

"I haven't met this cat. How will I know if I'll like her?"

"Trust me, you will. We'll go over later tonight and you two can meet."

So later that night, we went over to the friends' house. The cat was locked in the basement because their son was still awake, and his asthma was so severe, any little bit of dander would have set him off. We had just finished a rousing game of Karaoke Revolution and were about to leave when the basement door was unlocked, and a little year-old kitty quietly tiptoed in. She was a calico, with black, white, brown, and orange tabby patches all over her fur.

"You must be Gabby!" I exclaimed.

She rubbed her head against my legs.

I picked her up. She was very light. I hugged her, and she hugged me back. She let me hold her for a minute or two.

I was in love.

The next morning I found myself going home with a new kittycat, a bag of food, a litter box, a cat tree, lots of toys, and thirty pounds of scoopable cat litter.

Maggie was enthusiastic about the new member of our household, but the new member of our household was skittish at her new digs. She stayed in the bathroom for two days, as I kept her separate from Maggie before I felt comfortable introducing her full time. I let her out of the bathroom for two or three hour intervals so she could explore the place, then carefully put her back in.

The third morning, before I left for work, I went to find Gabby to put her back in the bathroom, and she was nowhere to be found. When I did find her, she was up on the perch, next to Maggie, watching the birds in the tree outside my living room window.

She hasn't been locked in the bathroom since.

Gabby acclimated herself very quickly. She is a real lovemonger. She kisses me good night and snuggles under the covers by my feet every night before I fall asleep. It has gotten to the point where I cannot slumber unless this ritual occurs. Maggie joins us in the middle of the night, and sometimes we have the 2:30 AM turf war.

In the morning, Gabby leans into my ear, purring loudly, to wake me up. Maggie then follows by crawling on my back or stomach, depending on my sleeping position, and kneading me.

Gabby is a great companion for naps. She's not a lap cat, but will snuggle against me whenever I sit on the couch.

She is a gentle, loving creature who sits on the vanity as I take my shower in the morning, and if I lean out the curtain before I wash my face, she'll lick the water droplets.

All in all, Gabby has been a welcome addition to our little family.

Happy Fourth Anniversary, Gabs.


(Mags in the foreground, Gabs in the background, almost two months after Gabby's adoption).